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James inspires Cleveland victory over Bobcats

Posted on: Thursday, 23 March 2006, 01:41 CST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - LeBron James drained the game-winning shot at the overtime buzzer and finished with a triple-double to help lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-118 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday.

The basket was the all-star's first winning shot of his career and capped off a brilliant night in which he contributed 37 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds.

It was also his ninth triple-double and helped lift the Cavaliers to their third straight win after the same number of consecutive losses.

Ronald Murray and Drew Gooden each added 19 points for Cleveland while Zydrunas Ilgauskas chipped in with a double-double, 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bobcats had six players in double figures, led by a 30-point performance from rookie Raymond Felton, but Charlotte still slipped to their fifth loss in six games.

Jumaine Jones and Alan Anderson each had 17 points while Bernard Robinson had 15 points and 14 rebounds.

James has been criticized for not attempting big shots when the game is on the line, but he took charge with score tied 118-118 by dribbling into the key, loading up and firing a fade-away jumper that sent the Cleveland crowd into raptures.

In Philadelphia, Allen Iverson returned to the line-up to score a game-high 29 points and lead the 76ers past the Atlanta Hawks 115-106.

The NBA's second leading scorer had missed four games with a sprained ankle and the 76ers struggled in his absence, losing all four contests to drop them into a battle for the Eastern conference's final playoff spot.

With Iverson back on the court, the 76ers played with more typical energy as Kyle Korver made his first seven shots on the way to a 23 point night, while Chris Webber added 21 points and 10 rebounds and Andre Iguodala 17 points and 12 boards.

Josh Smith paced Atlanta with 22 points as the Hawks slipped to their sixth loss in seven games.

The 76ers put this one out of reach early, leading 67-48 at the half and 96-74 heading into the final quarter.

In Auburn Hills, Chauncey Billups had 24 points and dished out 10 assists and Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince each chipped in with 17 points guiding the league leading Detroit Pistons past the Miami Heat 82-73.

Shaquille O'Neal, back in the Heat line-up after missing Tuesday's game with a sore thumb, had 27 points while Dwyane Wade was held to just 13 as the Heat lost their second in a row.

Source: REUTERS

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